Isara and I settled into my chambers, that very apartment on Cheops, which, unlike the palace, seemed more comfortable to me. We were now husband and wife, and this night, our wedding night, was meant to be spent in privacy. Formalities are an important word in politics, especially when you're confirming the legitimacy of your rule, even though it was entirely concentrated in the weapons of Cheops. Provincial governors and officials were all present at the wedding, reinforcing my position. I, in turn, played the role of a generous ruler, showering them with gifts—watches, cars. In return, they adorned me with gold, and the celebration lasted for days.
Isara recalled that in the old days, such celebrations could last a month, serving the purpose of uniting the people. For me, this was necessary, too, but I was far more preoccupied with naquadah production, which, fortunately, quickly improved. It turned out that all it took was a decent salary and the introduction of some technologies, reducing the workday to six hours with a strict schedule and weekends, and superstitions receded. The miners received electric mine carts, eliminating the long walks to the mine site, jackhammers, and, most importantly, air synthesizers—small devices similar to speakers that absorbed carbon dioxide and produced oxygen. Yes, there was still dust, but working conditions were incomparably better. I had already sent the first agreed-upon delivery of Ra's naquadah. Isara, who also prepared the wedding, undoubtedly deserved much credit for this. Fortunately, we didn't have to swear vows to the gods—that would have been very awkward. Isara swore allegiance to me, which, frankly, was funny.
But when the gifts started pouring in, everyone perked up. The data I'd received from Earth was still being translated. The English-to-Goa'uld automatic translator I'd created, though it required some terminology refinement, opened up a vast library of knowledge. The merchants immediately saw new opportunities for profit. I'd barely translated the information on papermaking when it was literally snatched from my hands. Within a month, many cities were starting to develop their own paper industries. The first printed materials were the textbooks I'd compiled during my two years in space—mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. Local scientists, having acquired copies, walked around for a while dumbfounded, as if they'd been hit over the head with a sack, while conducting extensive experiments.
Don't think I've discovered America for them. The Romans built the Colosseum in eight years—a grandiose structure, still impressive today, standing for two thousand years despite constant stone removal. People of that era, on the level of Ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome, possessed knowledge of algebra and geometry, but struggled to synthesize their knowledge. Physics was a different matter: electricity, the laws of nature—all of that was foreign to them. In fact, that month brought a veritable uproar in local academic circles. Remarkably, there were no situations like "What is this brat thinking? I'm an academic!" Any scientist whose theories were challenged by a textbook was given a way out—to appeal to Sarek, the god of wisdom. I added a preface specifically for such cases: "The work of a researcher is honorable, it pushes the boundaries of knowledge, and even our mistakes are steps on which a pyramid is built. This work is endless, like the universe." I smoothed out the rough edges.
In medicine, however, the turmoil was different. Mathematics, physics, and chemistry aren't as closely linked to human life (unless you count pharmaceuticals), so the phrase, "Well, the scientist made a mistake, no big deal, no one died," might be acceptable. But in medicine... Incorrect diagnoses and treatments led to deaths. Reforming medicine suddenly became a priority, at least for the safety of the doctors themselves. Modern people may look down on the treatment methods of the past, but doctors of that time didn't act out of malice—they were trained that way. They entered the profession to help people. After reading translated books, they cried a lot or even considered suicide.
Isara raised the issue, but what could I do? I promised to reduce mortality, including infant mortality. How could I do that without informing the doctors of the new treatments? They weren't idiots, they remembered what they'd prescribed yesterday. Overall, the planet was in turmoil: the miners were thrilled by the new working conditions and benefits, the scientists by the new data, the nobility by the new opportunities. And everyone began to reassure the common people, aided by public radio, which had relocated the heralds to the studios. While everything was still crude, people were assessing the situation and adopting a wait-and-see attitude. Few were willing to oppose Isara and me, and none were among the nobility. As a demonstration, I transported the high society to another continent and vaporized a mountain from Cheops.
This led to a complete understanding among senior government officials, who passed this on to the junior ones. So everyone was careful to ensure they, in particular, didn't suffer the same fate as that mountain. Blackmail? Yes, absolutely. And also a bluff, since I had no intention of mass murder. They hadn't done anything to me. On the other hand, it was just a stick. The carrot was far better: personal vehicles (all that remained was to train the drivers), electrification, computers, access to the benefits of high civilization. They appreciated all this and assured me of their loyalty. Not that I believed them, but it was nice.
"I've been meaning to ask for a while, what's the name of the city we live in?" I asked Isaru. My kitchen was stocked with plenty of food from Earth, as well as decent coffee, which I used shamelessly.
"The capital is called Lirz," the woman rolled her eyes. "Sarekh, you've been here a month already, you've learned a lot about the planet, but not the names of the cities."
"That's the kind of person I am. More of a scientist, inventor, engineer, but I'm not exactly a great communicator," I admitted honestly. "Large gatherings of people can be a bit tiring."
– Shouldn't gods love to bask in adoration?
"They should, but over time, that becomes increasingly absurd. So my approach is a little better. I'm not particularly fond of touching people's hearts with speeches, and I doubt I can do that. But I can create technologies that improve people's lives."
I sat on my favorite little couch in the kitchen. It could double as a second bed if needed, and Isara would sleep here tonight, because formalities are important, and even Jaffa gossip. Or rather, especially Jaffa. My God, after five thousand years, they still have jokes about Seth the Jaffa.
- Did you volunteer for this mission?
– Yes.
- Why?
"Survival. Next to the throne—near death. I was lucky to even be born. Most larvae are killed when they mature. My position at court was precarious. Everyone had a job, but the lesser Goa'uld lords were reserves in case new vacancies arose, and everyone fought for that. I took a different path, finding my own work, far from court. To be honest, I even bribed all my competitors to volunteer for this mission. Only in such an isolated system can one achieve autonomy, without supervision, and with a longer survival rate.
– Won't anyone come and check?
"Do you check on the tax collector in some border village too often?" I asked her ironically. "Even having a gate doesn't make things any easier. Besides, I'm a minor lord who gave up the chance to become someone great by staying at court. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if rumors spread that I'm a fool. And nothing is expected from fools. Perhaps the terms of my loan could have even been negotiated. I didn't need it, so it would take me 200 years to pay it back. If only I hadn't used more advanced technology."
- But you're not a fool, Sarykh.
"Not really. I'm just a bit disconnected from other issues. Incidentally, I've noticed we only talk about business. Even I know that in personal relationships, it's better to get to know each other's habits and hobbies."
Isara put the cup on the table and looked at me intently.
- And what do you want to know about me?
"Perhaps your favorite literary genres, what you do in your free time, your favorite color. What kind of clothes do you like, since you have access to the fashion magazines I brought from Earth."
"Earth... where you get all the technology that's superior to us but not up to the Goa'uld. What planet is that?" the woman changed the subject.
"The homeland of the human race. It's where you emerged as a species. And from there, the Goa'uld began enslaving you, dispersing you throughout the universe. Over time, the planet became abandoned, but the people there remained and evolved, preserving only legends of the gods. Even the System Lords often forget about it."
- But not you.
"No, not me. Earth is quite advanced beyond what the System Lords permit, and that's a blessing."
- Did you open up to them?
"It's not productive. There are hundreds of countries there, and there was a major war recently that claimed the lives of a hundred million people. So it's better to simply exploit their technology without interference. After all, I won't be able to establish any control over them."
- One hundred…
"Yes, a terrible war." This is truly shocking, considering that Urvashi has a population of 30 million. "Also, for now, the three winning countries are blinded by their own egos and could start a war over the gate. And even having captured the gate, they will begin expansion. They will run into the Goa'uld and be wiped off the face of the universe. Therefore, I shouldn't rush; it will take decades to integrate new knowledge into the culture. Earth is the purest representation of technological development. They took 5,000 years to get to the light bulbs I brought, and they still haven't reached the ultra-capacitive energy storage devices I have. This will allow us to bypass many obstacles along the way. Any factory will be able to turn into a factory using electrical energy. Although my goal is to reduce the share of people in agriculture, we also need markets. We can't rely solely on ourselves; the economy will quickly stagnate. Therefore, my task is to find as many markets as possible.
- The Earth won't become like this?
Earth thinks it's the only planet with intelligent life, yet there are many countries with super-powerful industries there, while we're just a small, backward country in these terms. So we should take advantage of Earth's lack of access to space and do many of the same things they do, but get more out of it.
- I noticed it.